In a stunning move announced Wednesday, the full-length Santa Barbara Veterans Day Marathon has been canceled. A letter from race director Rusty Snow posted on the marathon’s website, dated October 14, blamed race production costs and a lack of participants for the decision.
The shorter half-marathon distance will still be run on Saturday, November 7th as scheduled.
The following letter was posted on the marathon’s website today:
A Letter from the Race Director:
We deeply regret that the 2015 Marathon and Marathon Relay event has been cancelled due to a variety of factors including race production costs and participation numbers. This was an incredibly hard decision for us to make and we thank you for your support, understanding and patience during this process.
The Half Marathon, as well as the new Half Marathon Relay, on its beautiful new course starting at UC-Santa Barbara, will continue to be run on Saturday, November 7.
As a Marathon or Marathon Relay participant we have provided a couple of options to transfer, defer or receive a refund. Please visit your respective page to submit your request by Sunday, October 25. Thank you!
- Marathon: http://www.sbmarathon.com/transfer-refund
- Marathon Relay: http://www.sbmarathon.com/transfer-refund-relay
With the consolidation of the event into the Half Marathon we are looking forward to focusing on our beautiful beach-to-beach 13.1 mile event. The new Half Marathon experience beginning on the picturesque campus of UC-Santa Barbara, home to globally recognized cutting edge research, Nobel Prize winners and the Gauchos (Ole!). Runners will head under UCSB’s Henley Gate and onto Highway 217, a first for any event, taking in spectacular views of Goleta Beach and the Santa Ynez Mountain range. This new course offers one of the “world’s most beautiful starting and finishing lines”!
We have also brought back the Elite Performance & Rehabilitation Center Relay and have added the Appfolio Corporate Relay category, which will be run on the beautiful new Half Marathon course. This is a great opportunity for businesses up-and-down the Central Coast to celebrate health & fitness with their employees. In partnership with Elite Performance and The LAB, we will also be offering complimentary training to all corporate marathon relay participants!
The Finish Line Festival at scenic Leadbetter Beach also returns for its second year. Picture yourself at one of the most beautiful finish line experiences in the world framed by the Pacific Ocean coastline and mountains!
Hosting this event on Veterans Day weekend also honors the dedicated men & women of the armed forces in a very special way. With the support of the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation, participants will once again experience an incredible start with vintage aircraft flyovers and the one-of-a-kind Veterans Final Mile tribute that will inspire you every last step of your journey.
We cannot thank our sponsors, partners and volunteers enough for helping us create and present one of the largest sporting events in Santa Barbara County to showcase this community and geography of this spectacular place we call home. We look forward to hosting you on Veterans Day weekend and cheering you along each and every Mile.
Good training and great racing, and see you on Saturday, November 7 at The World’s Most Beautiful Finish Line.
Sincerely,
Rusty Snow
Race Director
